Thread: RAIDS IN 6 STATES MET WITH ANGER AND CHEERS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 13, 2006
Filed at 8:47 a.m. ET
GREELEY, Colo. (AP) -- Outside a meatpacking plant fence, a frustrated Tony Garcia watched as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swarmed inside to arrest illegal immigrants suspected in an identity-theft scheme.
''We need help,'' he yelled. ''We need answers.''
But most of his questions Tuesday had to wait. No names were released, and authorities did not say how many people were arrested. There was only the sight of dozens of workers being taken to law enforcement buses as agents swept through Swift & Co. plants in six states.
At the Swift plant in Grand Island, Neb., as many as 250 workers from a shift of more than 600 were detained, local union spokesman Mike Mary told The Washington Post.
In Colorado, Garcia worried about the schoolchildren whose parents were arrested at the Swift plant in Greeley.
''Who is going to pick them up?'' he asked.
The raids followed a 10-month investigation into illegal immigrants suspected of buying or stealing other people's identities to secure U.S. jobs. The scheme may have had hundreds victims, officials said.
Immigration officials last month informed Swift that it would remove unauthorized workers on Dec. 4, but Swift asked a federal judge to prevent agents from conducting the raid, arguing it would cause ''substantial and irreparable injury'' to its business.
The company estimated a raid would remove up to 40 percent of its 13,000 workers. Greeley-based Swift describes itself as the world's second-largest meat processor with sales of about $9 billion.
After a closed hearing, a judge on Thursday rejected Swift's request, clearing the way for Tuesday's raids at the plants in Greeley; Grand Island; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn.
The six plants represent all of Swift's domestic beef processing capacity and 77 percent of its pork processing capacity.
Advocates of stricter immigration control praised the raids and pointed out that they targeted people suspected of committing other crimes in addition to being in the U.S. illegally.
''I'm glad that ICE is enforcing our immigration laws in light of the illegal immigration crisis we face across the country,'' Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said in a statement.Others called the raids heavy-handed and criticized the effect on families.
''They are taking mothers and fathers, and we're really concerned about the children,'' said the Rev. Clarence Sandoval of St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church in Logan, Utah. ''I'm getting calls from mothers saying they don't know where their husband was taken.''
United Food and Commercial International Workers union spokeswoman Jill Cashen told the Post workers taken from the Worthington, Minn., plant were bused to South Dakota.
She said Tuesday that attorneys for the union would ask federal judges in all six states for injunctions to halt the raids.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department alsopledged to ensure that any Mexicans caught up in the raids have ''their human rights fully respected, and are given all the necessary assistance, orientation and consular protection.''No charges were filed against Swift.In a written statement, President and CEO Sam Rovit said the company has never knowingly hired illegal workers and does not condone the practice.Swift uses a government pilot program to confirm whether Social Security numbers are valid. Company officials have raised questions about the program's ability to detect when two people are using the same number.Immigration agents have also staged immigration raids at poultry plants in the South. In July 2005, nearly 120 people were arrested at an Arkadelphia, Ark., facility. Three months ago, agents raided a poultry plant in Stillmore, Ga., arresting a similar number who worked there or lived in surrounding counties and busing them to immigration courts in Atlanta, 189 miles away.

Good for the ICE! I only hope it intensifies till these illegal criminals have no where to hide nor the criminals aiding them. Perhaps a law is needed that those who are aiding them lose their citizenship and are deported with them?

I love that idea

Originally Posted by Crusader01

Good for the ICE! I only hope it intensifies till these illegal criminals have no where to hide nor the criminals aiding them. Perhaps a law is needed that those who are aiding them lose their citizenship and are deported with them?

Yes, every person who is helping these people break the law should be stripped of their citizenship and deported. They are traitors!

The company estimated a raid would remove up to 40 percent of its 13,000 workers. Greeley-based Swift describes itself as the world's second-largest meat processor with sales of about $9 billion.

The above statement is very confusing, especially when linked with this statement:

In a written statement, President and CEO Sam Rovit said the company has never knowingly hired illegal workers and does not condone the practice.

If the company had nothing to fear, why did they attempt to stop the raids:

After a closed hearing, a judge on Thursday rejected Swift's request, clearing the way for Tuesday's raids at the plants in Greeley; Grand Island; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn.

I would suggest that Swift knew that many of its employees were illegal immigrants. Heck, they knew what was going on - ICE even scheduled the raid through them. Of course I'm not sure this could be called a raid, because Swift knew it was coming.

This is th audio from the Greely Tribune
http://www.greeleytrib.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... s=Id=11015

This OUTRAGE has been added to the homepage

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tipped off Swift & Co. before the raid!?!?

ALIPAC Note: Why is ICE tipping off the company about the raids? Hundreds of illegal aliens quit their jobs prior to the raid because of the tip off! Why is the Associated Press talking about the children of the illegal aliens and NOT the American families that lost their jobs and identities to these lawbreakers?

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=N ... e&sid=1764

It is an outrage........who is in charge here...the greedy companies or the agency that is supposed to be enforcing the laws on illegal immigration. Once again I am sure this all about money......

I doubt Swift will ever be brought up on charges even though most would think you would have a clue if you had 1200 illegals working for your company.

If they get to schedule their raid they probably get to vote on if they get charged or not

All the more to make sure our voices our heard........We need to ROAR